As is known in the art, there is a trend to increase the number of radio frequency (RF) antennas disposed on both commercial and military structures including both airborne and land-based structures and vehicles. Such structures and vehicles may be either stationary or mobile. For example, RF antennas are often disposed on cell towers, missiles, aircraft, and mobile ground based vehicles.
As is also known, there is an increasing trend to place even more RF antennas on such structures. Since there is often a limited amount of space in which to place the antennas, there is a concomittant increase in the value of the space occupied by each antenna. Accordingly, it is desirable to utilize RF antennas which occupy the least amount of space (i.e. occupy the least amount of volume and real estate on the structures) while still providing a desired level of performance. Utilizing compact RF antennas frees up valuable surface area and in structures on which the RF antennas are disposed.
In missile applications, for example, high gain fixed beam antennas (e.g. fuse antennas) typically occupy a relatively large volume in order to provide the antenna having desired gain and antenna pattern characteristics. It would, therefore, be desirable to provide compact antennas which occupy a relatively small volume compared with conventional antennas providing the same function. For example, it would be desirable to provide compact fuse antennas which occupy a relatively small volume compared with conventional fuse antennas having substantially the same desired gain and antenna pattern characteristics.